The Dark Lord's Rise
by Return Of The South
Summary: Demons have swarmed Jump City, killing and mutating humans. The Titans will have to fight tooth and claw to escape the venomous jaws of a fiend with no mercy. Who is behind this orchestrated tragedy? Read and find out. BBRae RRTerra RobStar R
1. Chapter 1

Prelude:

They came at a speed that a human could not fathom. Within minutes, they paraded our streets, gutted our houses and business buildings. Cars, abandoned and tipped over, were scattered across strips of dusty road. Every once in a while, you'll come across a puddle of freshly poured blood, but a lack of a body to produce it.

Demons in Jump City; A wrath so inhumane that it surely arose from hell. Even Raven, in all her cool confidence, shivers at the thought and looks at the situation with hopeless eyes. Beast Boy is at a loss for words and Starfire's boundless heart has ceased to soar with joy.

My name is Robin, leader of the proclaimed Teen Titans, and whether I like it or not I and all my friends are going to play as pawns in one of the greatest sieges mankind has ever bore witness to. A Bo and a bird-a-rang will not cut the shell of our new, hellish enemies. Guns and swords with incredible blades are all that can cut this fog.

Day: 1 Time: 12:30 pm Location: T-Tower

Arriving home from an unfriendly rendezvous with Gizmo and Mammoth, the Team happily, yet exhaustedly, threw themselves down onto the soft, comforting couch and began watching any mindless programming that appealed to them the most, save Robin, who was tapping away at his laptop, and Raven, who was mentally devouring the contents of her latest book; _How To Ease Stress Out Of Family Issues_.

Then the alarm, for the last time, buzzed loudly with an electronic rudeness. The Titans Reluctantly gazed at the red, flashing light and then to the map which indicated an event which needed their help to lead to a peaceful resolution. A small, red dot flickered irritatingly at the teens. It was in downtown; a good ten miles from their Tower.

BB moaned as he clasped his hands to his head and stretched out his worn legs. Raven was silent but glared at the floor as she hesitantly lifted herself from the cushioned layers of the couch. Starfire rose slowly and wordlessly without any delay.

Robin had immediately sprung to his feet at the first tolling of the alarm. His emotionless, glazed mask looked at his team, soundlessly urging them to their feet. Cyborg stood up and was the first to speak.

"C'mon ya'll, it'll only be a minute. It's probably just a small thief since we've already whipped or jailed every other villain, except for Control Freak but, hey, he's less of a threat then a common crook." the metallic, young man joked. He nudged his spiky-haired comrade who only revealed a rare flicker of a smile.

"Cy's right, guys. Let's go. The air conditioning in the car will be nice anyway." Robin said, dealing with the reluctance to action with a swift command. BB rose to his feet and the team, the mighty team of five marched out of the safe abodes of their guarded tower and stepped willingly into the dangers of the insane world.

Time: 12:29 pm

This was not what they had expected. The streets were barren and whispered with an intimidating hush of unbroken silence. Only the purr of the T-car and the steps echoed by the Teen Titans were heard. Silence. Pure and sought after at times, yet when it arrives we are unnerved and at a loss for words.

"HEEEEELLLLLLOOOOOOOOO!" hollered Beast Boy. No response came.

"Freaky." muttered Cyborg, secretly yearning to retreat to the T-car and never return to this melancholy place. It had been like this all the way here. No people, no animals, no sound….only fog and dark, grey clouds had greeted them.

"Robin…" Starfire called out as her eyes searched the windows of the dark buildings. The buildings were dead, no light shining from them, devoid of any life. Empty skulls that stared at you with gutted sockets.

"Steady, Star." Robin commanded as his heart twanged with pain. He wanted to reach out and comfort her but he couldn't permit himself to do so; not in front of people he were worried that might judge, and certainly not on mission.

A door creaked open, pushed by its own desire. The Titans watched as it opened fully. Raven glided to the door but was soon repelled as a rank smell caught her strongly. She sputtered and hacked as tears welled up in her eyes. Her fellow protectors joined her by her side.

"Raven?" BB asked concern. He was covering his nose as the foul odor spread and quickly engulfed them.

"I'm fine." she dismissed the matter quickly and led the way into the house. Inside, the first of countless dark forces awaited them. And soon, they would be playing a deadly game of escape, gambling their lives and even their souls.

**Good? Bad? Did I lay it on too thick? Not enough? Too many questions?**

**Write a review. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go to bed; thank you very much!**


	2. The First Strike

**Okay, my second installment of my new story. This is when all hell breaks loose, literally. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans…damn.**

Time: 12:30 pm

Location: Downtown

The teens swarmed the door, fighting off the terrible smell. Robin took the lead and walked through the house, his bird-a-rang was out and ready for use. His sharp, crafty eyes examined the layout of the building. Walls separated one large room into smaller rooms. There were no doors.

He signaled to the others to move out. The nodded in agreement and stealthily crept over to their destination. With a flutter of his cape, Robin entered the building and quickly recoiled in horror.

On a table in the middle of the room, a butchered body was resting, blood trickling down the legs of the side formed small, ruby rivers that joined together to form dense, crimson puddle that revealed a reflection of the horrified Boy Wonder tinted red.

His heartbeat soared as he moved closer to the slain figure. A shriek came to life from behind and Robin jumped nearly a foot. The scream….it was Starfire! He dashed out of his room and into the one she had taken.

As he came to her side he saw what had caused her to scream; more dead bodies. Three young girls and a small dog composed the group, all of which were left behind gruesomely by their killer. The paled, terrified alien dug her face into his chest as her tears wetted his uniform. Robin wrapped his arm around her.

"It's okay, Star. We'll fix this. I promise." Robin reassured.

Beast Boy came running in, his face was a light, pale green and he looked sick. He glance at the slain bodies and his condition seemed to grow worse. Before he could speak, Robin said, "You found a body?"

Beast Boy was taken aback by the accuracy of his guess but got over it quickly and nodded feverishly.

"A whole stack of 'em! What the hell happened!" said Beast Boy as he threw his hands up in confusion.

"What ever happened, it happened in the entire house." said Cyborg as he walked in with Raven. They briefly looked at the remains before averting their sight to their leader. "Our rooms had a few of these guys, too. Got any guesses?"

Robin opened his mouth to speak as he pointed his finger to literally make a point but Raven briskly cut him off.

"Please don't say Slade." she pleaded sarcastically.

He lowered his hand and glared at her, deflated.

"In that case, I've got nothing." he murmured in defeat. "But who ever did this is serious. Cy, call the police and tell them to send a few paddy-wagons for our friends here. I don't think they'll give a damn about leg room."

Starfire glared at him for not taking this seriously. Her tears had stopped but she displayed a dismal grimace at every turn of the house. She scuttled out of the main door and stood by the car as Cy dialed the number of the police.

"Damn, some o' these guys don't even _have_ legs." he muttered as he punched in the keys to the phone number. A dial tone resounded and repeated as the Titans anxiously waited for some sort of contact with other humans.

It repeated over and over again but still no one answered.

"Sons of bitches, the only time we need them and they're not there! What the hell are these guys paid to do?" Cyborg complained as he changed his contact to camera phone. A projection light was cast out from the half-robot's arm and onto a blank, white wall. What it showed was unnerving.

The police station was abandoned. Further more, it looked like it was raided and torn apart. Something shifted in the corner of the station behind a desk. Before Cy could focus on it, a shriek once again pierced the night.

"Star!" Robin cried out concerned, making his way to the front door.

"It was not me, Robin." she replied.

Something leapt out of the shadows and attacked Beast Boy, tackling him to the ground. It was one of the dead bodies! As it swung its clawed arms and wailed in an unearthly tone, BB struggled to throw the diseased beast from him. Raven reacted swiftly and without mercy. She used her powers to lift the creature of Beast Boy and then tore it in half. Even then, the two halves wriggled in her magic's black grasp.

"Titans, pull back!" Robin commanded as he hurled explosives into the fray to disorient their enemy. The Titans more then willingly did what they were told. They rushed out the entrance, firing all they had into the house as they ran.

"What's going on!" asked Starfire frantically.

"Get in the car!"

"Why!"

"Get in the fucking car!"

Starfire trembled as Beast Boy opened the door and Raven shoved her into the car and thusly followed her. Cyborg flipped over the front of the car and jumped into the driver's seat, just as Robin hopped into the passenger seat next to him.

"GO! GO! GO!" yelled Robin as he slammed the door shut.

Cyborg didn't need to hear another word. He nearly crushed the gas pedal as the car was hurled into motion, squealing as it flew down the street.

Robin gripped the arm of his chair as adrenalin coursed through him, a toll for brief spurt of action. He surveyed his team: Cyborg was tightly gripping the wheel as his eyes, wide open, carefully watched the shifting road. Starfire was huddled in her seat, holding herself as she shook. Raven placed her arm on Star and tried to comfort her. BB was examining himself, searching for a wound amidst the blood from his attacker.

"What the hell was that?" asked Cyborg out-loud.

"Satan!" BB yelled his answer.

"Don't be stupid!" retorted Raven, "I would know a demon if I saw it. They were possessed but not by a demon."

"So we have no clue…again." snapped Robin. He pounded the dash-board of the T-car in a release of fury. Cyborg was too frightened to care. He slicked back his hair and looked at BB.

"You okay?"

"Really? No. But I'm not hurt, if that's what you meant." said BB.

"What now?" asked Star, eeking out enough courage to speak up. Robin looked at her sadly. He wished he was gentler to her, but I the heat of a moment you really can't control your expressions.

"I've got no idea." he admitted, "We'll do what we can. We'll get back to the Tower and contact higher authorities. We'll request some assistance and hopefully get this sorted out."

"I don't wanna die, Robin." said BB.

"You won't. Now control yourself. We're almost home-"

"Jesus Christ!" cried Cyborg, slamming on the brakes. Robin swiveled in his seat and looked at Cyborg. He followed his gaze to the T-Tower. It was on fire.

**Please review. Just so I know you're alive and watching.**


	3. One armed beast

Time: 12:20pm

Location: about 2 miles from T-Tower, on other side of the body of water that divides the two landforms.

"Dear lord…save us…" muttered Robin as he stared at his destroyed home in utter disbelief. The flames licked away at the building till all that was left was the twisted frame which groaned with the fiery pressure and eventually collapsed into a smoldering pile of garbage.

Just like that, the Titans were stranded and alone in their own home town. They watched from outside the T-car

"Starfire stared at the destruction with emotionless eyes. Her warrior training wrought onto her by her home world now showed brilliantly. BB quivered as he clutched his hands into fists. A furious frown displayed his directionless rage. Cyborg stood by his car, fearing that it might be the next victim. He placed a hand on BB's shoulder but it didn't ease his frustration and confusion. Raven was exactly like Starfire; cool and calculating.

"Shit! Who? Why!" was all that BB could manage to spit out as his anger disorientated his mind and logic.

"Most likely the same bastards who did what they did to those bodies back there." Robin assumed. He whipped around and looked at his team.

"Titan's: were going to sweep this area for survivors. If we let any more citizens' fall to the hands of some maniac, our reputations won't the only thing on the line. I'll also contact the other Titans for back-up. We'll be on our own, but I want each other within a miles radius of each other. Report anything odd or out of place. Understood?" He barked with a dead-serious, commanding face. Under severe circumstances, Robin performed well as a leader.

Before the Titans could agree, disagree or even take in a breath of air, a screech resounded from behind them. An ex-human came dashing down the road, heading for them with a relentless will to kill.

The top of his head had been neatly cut open and all its contents were stolen from him. His face seemed to have been sucked back, creating sharp dimple, a pointed chin and eyes that rolled back into his sockets.

The muscle in his body had been almost fully transferred to his legs and right arm. His left arm was missing. His legs consisted of so much might that they crumpled the cement road as he was propelled a few yards with each step.

"Die, you ugly piece of shit!" yelled Robin as he threw an explosive disk into the creatures face. The monster swatted away the object, sending it into the side of a building. Rubble fell from the nearby construction, nearly killing BB.

"Watch it!" said BB after diving from the accident.

"Fight now, talk later!" commanded Starfire as she blasted the mistake of nature with both her arms blasting and her eyes flashing. The green stream of alien wrath flew to the zombie. He covered himself with his only arm.

Dust and clutter expanded from the attacked zone, forming a cloud that blocked all visibility. Robin was unnerved by the sightlessness.

"Well? Did you get him, Star? Is he dead?" Robin asked frantically.

From the light brown cloud, came a crushing shriek, the sound of a massive amount of metal being compacted. A crumpled ball of metal flew from nowhere towards Robin. He jumped out of the way and his head and hands landed on something thick, yet squishy, and very strong. He looked up and saw that face of the demon staring at him.

Before Robin could scream, the thing swooped down with its only arm and wrapped its three long fingers around the teen hero's neck. It lifted him off the ground quickly, holding his feet a millimeter away from his own.

Robin's breathing was under attack. His wind tunnel was being sealed and the stench of rotting flesh gagged him and kept him from inhaling through his nose.

"I will show you…" said It as It breathed deeply.

"Where the…" Breath.

"Bodies of…" Breath.

"Hell GAAAAAATHEEEERRRR!" It said, screeching the last part. By now, Robin was passing out and going limp. The creature's expanded to a huge hole with razor sharp teeth. Its teeth-lined hole approached the top of Robin's forehead.

From the dust cloud, Beast Boy leapt out in the form of a furious tiger. With a slash of his clawed front leg, the arm of the monster was shredded into strands of muscle, blotches of blood and weak, cracked bones.

Robin hit the ground hard but his lungs gratefully took in a large swell of air. The thing recoiled in pain and horror as it waved its stump of an arm around. It began to flee, just as the veil of fog settled.

"There you are, bitch!" yelled Cyborg as he blasted the creature in the back with his arm-laser. The creature spun about maniacally and lashed out at the explosion. As the black cloud erupted from the impact of the laser, and then settled, the Titans saw that the thing had escaped.

Starfire flanked Robin and held him as he coughed and gagged for air. He lifted himself up, aided by Star and BB. Cyborg and Raven had ran to where the creature was last seen alive but found nothing but a charred section of street.

"He got away." said Cyborg, irritated.

"We'll find him…" said Robin before crumbling to a coughing fit. Star watched worriedly as BB struck Robin on the back to help him break up whatever he was coughing on. After it passed, Robin struck away BB's hand and resumed talking.

"Chang of plans. We're getting the hell out of here. Whatever is going on here is too much for us."

The titans nodded and Raven looked to have wanted to say something but was cut off.

By Cyborg's phone-arm ringing.

"Cy, I thought we were the only ones who knew your arm-phone number." asked Raven.

"You are." said Cyborg, terrified. He pushed a button and receiver popped out of his arm. He slowly picked it up and held it to his ear.

"Hello?"

**Cliffhanger. Happy April Fool's Day.**


	4. General Hatchet

**Thank you reviewers.**

**In this chapter, it's mostly explaining what the hell is going on. It's still pretty good and I threw in some humor to make it more appealing. Anyway, read and enjoy.**

Time: 12:41 PM

Location: Same as last.

"C-n-yo—h-ar-me? –ver." cackled the voice in broken English.

"What?" replied Cyborg. He fidgeted and played with the gadgets on his arm, trying to get a better frequency. The Titans watched carefully.

"This is the National Guard. Are there any survivors?" said the voice. It sounded like a young man.

"Yes! God, yes!" Cyborg yelled happily into the speaker installed in his arm. At this, the Titans seemed to relax at the verbal touch of another human. They desperately required some sort of contact.

"Please wait." He put them on hold.

The Titans stared, slack-jawed, at the phone.

"…They put us on hold…we're in the middle of hell…and they put us on hold." said BB in disbelief.

"Son of a bit-" Before Robin could finish his outcry of rage, the voice returned but was different. It seemed older, more commanding, and-in a way-heartless.

"Who is this?" demanded the gruff voice.

"We're the Titans. I am their leader, Robin. Who are you and how can you help us get out of here?" Robin retaliated with his own command. He marched forward and grabbed hold of Cyborg's arm with one hand and brought it up to his mouth. Cyborg made a mental note to wash Robin's spit off his arm later on.

"Listen, punk, I'm in command here. You and your spandex-wearing pals have stumbled into the greatest American tragedy since 9/11. But its okay… we can use you, possibly."

"What happened? Is it a terrorist attack?" asked BB as he stepped forward to. Cyborg felt that his arm was getting crowded and it was about now that he wished he had gotten a cellphone instead.

"Terrorist? Please. Bin Laden could never pull off anything like this. That old bastard is held up in some shitty cave. It's a much worse gang of bastards. Robin, do you know of the Medical-Electronic Military Research Center in your town?"

"The big building with no windows?"

"Bingo. In there, American scientists were instructed to create a soldier that is invincible to radiation, in case of nuclear attack. They were granted test subjects-healthy, young soldiers as well as an animal or two-and the procedure started."

"Why are you telling us this?" asked Raven as she joined the crowd around Cyborg's arm. The metal man sighed.

"Because that's who you're fighting?"

"Whoa now, hold on a second!" hollered BB as he stepped back. "Why the hell do we have to make up for your mistake?"

"If you don't, you will be responsible for all the deaths from here on out as a result from this." stated the voice coolly. A vein twitched on BB's forehead. Robin scowled.

"Because WE can't do anything from where we are. They have formed a wall of zombies and shit and somehow you managed to slip through it. So YOU can do it, we can't. Any further bitching, are have you matured from your moronic state?"

BB glared at the arm from whence the voice slipped through and grinded his teeth but had to agree with the insulting commander.

"Good. Well, back to the story. The soldiers morphed into these horrible, destructive…things… We couldn't control them; their anger and wrath were so fierce that it terrified all the guards. However, they have a weakness. Their life support is wirelessly attached to them from a generator. The generator is hidden underground in a military bunker, near the Messina Foundation on Blind Man avenue."

"That's, like, fifty miles from here! That's in another fucking town!" complained BB. "Why the fuck did you put it there?"

"…Security. And it's only…43 miles…roughly."

"All the more reason to get started. Just one more question sir," said Robin.

"Call me General Hatchet."

"General, how many soldiers were infected?"

"200 humans and thirty animals. It is possible that some died. You don't have to fight them all. You merely need to shut down the generator. That's all. If you need any info, call us. We'll be in touch and we'll try to get some soldiers in there to help."

"Thank you general. Bye." Cyborg turned off his arm.

"…Let's go. I don't want to stay in one place for too long, and it'll be best if we find this damn generator." said Robin. He began to stroll down the street. Slowly, one by one, the other Titans reluctantly joined him.

Starfire gazed at the sky. It was covered in a thick blanket of damp, heavy clouds whose gray bodies slowly drifted across the sky. They glaring down at the travelers and would be their only potential witness to their deaths. Their solemn figures churned above and threatened them with booms of thunder and rods of lightning. Only a patch of cloud withered away and through it beams of hopeful light shone down, coincidentally in the direction they marched.

Starfire's thoughts were interrupted by BB as he blurted out, "God damn government, always messing stuff up. Next year, I'm voting democrat, damn it!"

**Next, I'll write what's going on with the villains. Any suggestions as to which one? **

**Review and I'll give you a slice of humble pie. Whatever that is.**

**This chapter is dedicated to Punky, who just bought a crap load of song for us on iTunes. God Bless.**


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